North Carolina State University, Friends of the College Records 1959-1994

English

The Friends of the College Concert Series was started in 1959 as an attempt by North Carolina State College (later University) to increase its visibility and role in the local community. The first director of the program was Gerald Erdahl, then director of the College Student Union. The initial program featured the music of the Philharmonica Hungaria, which performed in Reynolds Coliseum, the site of many of the program's offerings.

From 1959 until 1993, the Friends of the College sponsored hundreds of concerts and other cultural presentations in Reynolds Coliseum. Some of the performers that visited North Carolina State University through the Friends of the College include pianist Van Cliburn, violinist Itzhak Perlman, the New York Ballet, Vincent Price, Burl Ives, the North Carolina Symphony, and many international cultural ensembles including the Royal Scots Guard.

Amidst financial problems in 1993, the Friends of the College offered a "Silent Season." Under the program, Friends of the College sent a compact disc set to subscribing "Friends" in an attempt to raise money to fund the organization. Ultimately, the effort did not succeed; the Friends of the College sponsored no performances after 1994 and became defunct soon thereafter.

The North Carolina State University, Friends of the College Records, 1959-1994, contain brochures, campaign materials, contracts, correspondence, photographs, programs, publicity materials, season materials, and slides relating to the operation of the Friends of the College and featured performances sponsored by the organization. Also included are Friends of the College Board of Directors records.

The Season Materials series includes playbills, records, press materials, and photographs of most of the performances held under the auspices of the Friends of the College at Reynolds Coliseum. A significant percentage of the items in the Season Materials series derive from press kits sent to the Friends of the College by the various representatives of the performers; these kits include stock photography, official biographies, tour notes, and press releases. The Campaign Materials series includes official records of fundraisers, ticket sale drives, and other efforts not directly related to the sponsored performances.

The Correspondence series includes letters both to and from officials of the Friends of the College with members of the general public, performers and their agents, the media, and others. The Administrative Records series includes the records, meeting minutes, and agendas of the Board of Directors and the Programming Committee of the Friends of the College, as well as financial records, publicity and advertising materials, and long-range plans. Most of the Administrative Records were created by or under the direction of Executive Directors Henry Bowers and Ron Butler, respectively. The Publications series contains published materials from external sources relating to the Friends of the College. The Programs and Brochures series is a partial aggregation of the various pamphlets produced by the Friends of the College relating to seasons and performers.

Items in the Photographs series include prints of pictures of the various performers that Friends of the College brought to North Carolina State University as well as negatives and slides. Audiovisual Materials include audio and video recordings, mostly radio and television promotional spots for Friends of the College performances.

The Posters series contains posters promoting performances put on by the Friends of the College over the years. They are organized chronologically by season.

This collection is organized into 9 series:

• Season Materials
,
• Campaign Materials
,
• Correspondence
,
• Administrative Records
,
• Publications
,
• Programs and Brochures
,
• Photographs
• Audiovisual Material,
• Posters

This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which North Carolina State University assumes no responsibility.

The nature of the NC State University Libraries' Special Collections means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The NC State University Libraries claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials.

The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

[Identification of item], North Carolina State University, Friends of the College Records, UA 018.001, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC

Transferred from the offices of the Friends of the College.

Processed by Joshua Hager; Finding aid created by Jennifer Baker, 2012 April.